A bit of Germany in Japan
Japan’s, Okinawa Miyako Island is still very well known for its pristine beaches, oceans waves and an authentic German castle. The castle is actually a part of the Shigira Seven Miles Resort called the Ueno German Cultural Village. Our reporter checked online and found many mentions of it in travel websites about Miyako Island, but user reviews only said that it’s a nice place to take a stroll around, without touching on million-dollar questions of what this place is, what’s inside it, and, most importantly, why there’s a German village/castle in Japan? First, let’s take a look at what Ueno German Cultural Village is. It’s a small cluster of facilities, all built in a very traditional German style, with its centerpiece a replica of Marksburg Castle in Braubach, Germany. It was built in the ’90s, so you might assume that highly weathered look is all artificial. But as anyone who’s been to the islands of Okinawa can attest, that salty ocean breeze really does a number on buildings there. The inside of the castle is completely different, however, with well-maintained displays and exhibits. It has classic castle architecture, like high ceilings and stone walls, but the facilities are all modern and accessible.
The second and third floors, each one filled with exhibits of German culture and history. There was one highlighting Germany’s long love affair with beer. Another one showcased German cuisine, which confirmed Saya’s suspicions that the people there really like lots of meat and bread. As a fan of fairy tales, she was delighted by the display of a traditional rural German kitchen that looked straight out of a Brothers Grimm story. It was also like stepping into a life-sized dollhouse. There were some wonderful examples of German art and antique furniture. Our reporter’s favorite parts were the sections set up to also replicate the interior of the real Marksburg Castle. The extra-tall canopy bed looked perfect for German nobility.
Germany’s connection to Miyako Island goes much deeper than that the nearby coastline is culturally significant. In 1873, a German ship wrecked at this very spot, and its crew were helped by the local fishermen. A few years later, Emperor Wilhelm I set up a monument there. At about the same time, Japan was in the process of annexing Miyako and all the other islands of Okinawa, which was then known as the Ryukyu Kingdom. Some time after the annexation, the Japanese Empire came across Wilhelm’s monument and used it as a sign of Japan and Germany’s friendship, building their own monument as well to really drive the point home in 1936 in the hopes of forming an alliance.
Building German humor
The neurotic builds castles in the air, the psychotic lives in them,
and the psychiatrist collects the rent.
A group of American tourists were being guided through an ancient castle in Okinawa.
“This place,” the guide told them, “is 600 years old. Not a stone in it has been touched, nothing altered, nothing replaced in all those years.”
“Wow,” said one woman “they must have the same landlord I do.”
An American couple were visiting the Okinawa castle and stopped in the gift shop to look around. The woman sneezed and the proprietor said, “Gesundheit”. “The tourist said to her husband, “We are in luck, it sounds like they speak English in here.”
A relative had our family tree traced back to its medieval roots in England. On a trip to Britain, my wife and I visited the Goodrich Castle, which bears our name. Near the castle’s entrance was a little shed where a woman was taking tickets. I jokingly told her that my name was Goodrich and that I had come from the United States to claim the castle. “Oh, good,” she explained, “We have been waiting for you to pay the last nine hundred years in back taxes.”
December 16th Birthdays
1775 – Jane Austin, 1985 – Milla Jojovich, 1988 – Anna Popplewell, 1984 – Sarah Paulson
1917 – Arthur C. Clarke, 1984 – Theo James, 1770 – Beethoven, 1964 – Benjamim Bratt